Teaching Activity Guide
Whale Migrations
Table of Contents
3
How to Use This Activity Guide (General)
4
What Do Children Already Know?
5
Pre-Reading Questions
6
Comprehension Questions & Writing Prompts
7
Ocean Menu
8
Language Arts & Science: Basic Needs
9
Fill in the Conjunction
10 Cross-Curricular Vocabulary Activities
11 Word Bank
12 Cross-Curricular: Silly Sentences
14 Language Arts: Sequence Sentence Strips
16 Word Search
18 RIDDLE ME THIS
19 Animal Sorting Cards
22Adaptations
23 Ocean Adaptations
24 Label the Whale Body Parts
26 Math: Measuring (compare & contrast)
27 Whales: Compare & Contrast
28 Migration Math
29 Humpback Migration Research
30 Ocean Seasons Nature Journal
32 Gray Whale Migration Map
33 Coloring Page
34Answers
36 Appendix A—“What Children Know” Cards
37 Appendix B—Venn Diagram
38 Appendix C—Vocabulary Cards
Copyright 2014 © Arbordale Publishing
These activities may be copied for personal and non-commercial use in educational settings.
www.ArbordalePublishing.com
How to Use This Activity Guide (General)
There are a wide variety of activities that teach or supplement all curricular areas.
The activities are easily adapted up or down depending on the age and abilities of
the children involved. And, it is easy to pick and choose what is appropriate for your
setting and the time involved. Most activities can be done with an individual child or
a group of children.
For teachers in the classroom: We understand that time is at a premium and
that, especially in the early grades, much time is spent teaching language arts. All
Arbordale titles are specifically selected and developed to get children excited about
learning other subjects (science, geography, social studies, math, etc.) while reading
(or being read to). These activities are designed to be as comprehensive and crosscurricular as possible. If you are teaching sentence structure in writing, why not use
sentences that teach science or social studies? We also know and understand that
you must account for all activities done in the classroom. While each title is aligned
to all of the state standards (both the text and the For Creative Minds), it would be
nearly impossible to align all of these activities to each state’s standards at each
grade level. However, we do include some of the general wording of the CORE
language arts and math standards, as well as some of the very general science or
social studies standards. You’ll find them listed as “objectives” in italics. You should
be able to match these objectives with your state standards fairly easily.
For homeschooling parents and teachers in private schools: Use as above. Aren’t
you glad you don’t have to worry about state standards?
For parents/caregivers: Two of the most important gifts you can give your child
are the love of reading and the desire to learn. Those passions are instilled in your
child long before he or she steps into a classroom. Many adults enjoy reading
historical fiction novels . . . fun to read but also to learn (or remember) about
historical events. Not only does Arbordale publish stories that are fun to read and
that can be used as bedtime books or quiet “lap” reading books, but each story
has non-fiction facts woven through the story or has some underlying educational
component to sneak in “learning.” Use the “For Creative Minds” section in the book
itself and these activities to expand on your child’s interest or curiosity in the
subject. They are designed to introduce a subject so you don’t need to be an expert
(but you will probably look like one to your child!). Pick and choose the activities to
help make learning fun!
For librarians and bookstore employees; after-school program leaders; and zoo,
aquarium, nature center, park & museum educators: Whether reading a book for
story time or using the book to supplement an educational program, feel free to use
the activities in your programs. We have done the “hard part” for you.
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What Do Children Already Know?
Young children are naturally inquisitive and are sponges for information. The
whole purpose of this activity is to help children verify the information they
know (or think they know) and to get them thinking “beyond the box” about a
particular subject.
Before reading the book, ask the children what they know about the subject.
A list of suggested questions is below. The children should write down their
“answers” (or adults for them if the children are not yet writing) on the chart
found in Appendix A, index cards, or post-it notes.
Their answers should be placed on a “before reading” panel. If doing this as a
group, you could use a bulletin board or even a blackboard. If doing this with
individual children, you can use a plain manila
folder with the front cover the “before reading”
correct
ing
loo
read
answer
e
corre k for
r
o
f
ct an
panel. Either way, you will need two more panels be
swer
or sections—one called “correct answer” and the
other “look for correct answer.”
t
: wha
tions is a
Quesof animal
class
dog?
A dog
ers:
Answ al, like us.
is a
t
: wha
tions is a
Quesof animal
mamm
class n?
dolphi
phin
A dol
us.
ers:
Answ mmal, like
is a ma
t
Do the children have any more questions about
the subject ? If so, write them down to see if
they are answered in the book.
: wha
tions is a
Quesof animal
class ?
parrot
ers:
Answ
rot
A a parhas
e it
becaus
is a bird
rs.
feathe
After reading the book, go back to the questions and answers and determine
whether the children’s answers were correct or not.
If the answer was correct, move that card to the “correct answer” panel. If the
answer was incorrect, go back to the book to find the correct information.
If the children have more questions that were not answered, they should look
them up.
When an answer has been found and corrected, the card can be moved to the
“correct answer” panel.
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Pre-Reading Questions
How are seasons in the ocean the same as on land?
How are seasons in the ocean different than those on land?
What ocean animals are born only in the spring?
What is the bottom of the food web in the ocean?
List some animals that are the top of the ocean food web.
Where do gray whales live?
During what time of year are gray whale calves born?
Where are gray whales born and during which season?
What do gray whales eat?
What is the best season to find this food and where?
How do gray whales communicate with each other?
Both Books:
What are some ocean animals that migrate to warmer waters in the winter?
What do adult whales eat while in the warmer, winter waters?
Why do whales return to northern waters in the summer?
What are some reasons that whales migrate back and forth between warm
winter waters and Northern, cooler summer waters?
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Comprehension Questions & Writing Prompts
Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, (paired
fiction & For Creative Minds non-fiction)
Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic.
Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic.
Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media
by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not
understood.
Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or
through other media.
Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate
understanding of key details in a text.
What happens to ocean plants in the spring?
What are some ocean animals that are born in the spring?
What food is readily available in the spring and summer?
What do urchins eat?
What would happen to kelp if the urchins disappeared?
What are some animals that hide in kelp?
What do humpbacks eat and how do they catch it?
What are plankton?
What are some animals that hunt salmon?
Where do humpback whales go in the winter and what
happens there?
Why do the humpbacks go back to colder waters for the summer?
Why do you think the people liked going out in boats in the
area where Little Gray was a young calf? Would you want to
go out? Why or why not?
What part of his body did Little Gray use to blow bubbles?
What is blubber?
When did Little Gray and his Mama swim?
Why was Mama getting so thin?
What did LIttle Gray hear to help him find the “secret
passage to the special sea?
What did the gray whales eat?
What body part do gray whales use to push mud out of their mouths?
Compare and contrast the two types of whales.
During which season do the whales spend in the warm, winter waters?
During which season do the whales spend in the cooler, Northern waters?
Which book is fictional and how can you tell?
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Ocean Menu
Select an animal from one of the books. Determine what it eats. Make an
“Ocean Menu” based on foods that the animal eats during each season. (How
does the food itself change over the seasons?)
Make an “Ocean Menu” for food that humans eat. What ocean foods are more
easily found in the spring or in the fall? For example, we tend to catch and eat
salmon in the fall…why? Are there certain times of the year that we may or may
not harvest or catch certain types of ocean animals (like oysters or shrimp)?
Why? If you were to buy this food in the grocery store, would it be more
expensive during the “harvest” season or when it is not harvested? Why? How
would you cook or prepare the food?
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Language Arts & Science: Basic Needs
Objective: Describe the basic needs of living things and how they are met.
Plants need water, oxygen, food, light and space to grow and reproduce; animals need water,
oxygen, food, and shelter/space to grow and reproduce.
Re-read the story and write down any words that relate to how the plants or
animal(s)meet their basic needs.
Plant/
Animal
water
oxygen
food
light
space
If not mentioned in the text, are there any indications in the illustrations of
how these needs are met? Can you describe, draw, or write an explanation of
how the needs are met?
Fill in the Conjunction
Objective Core Language Arts: Use frequently occurring conjunctions.
Use one of the following words to fil in the sentence so that it makes sense.
and
but
or
so
because
Spring is a burst of color on land __________ in the sea as plants spread
their soft, new growth.
Urchins munch on kelp __________ sea otters eat the urchins.
Many fish, crabs, and shrimp hide and feast in the kelp forest __________
predators can’t find them as easily.
Fish grow bigger and stronger through the summer; __________ they are
still food for many birds, bigger fish, and the humpback whales.
The tiny plankton die and fall to the ocean floor __________ summer lights grow dark.
The people clapped __________ shouted.
Little Gray didn’t know whether to stay __________ go.
Mama lost blubber over the winter __________ she didn’t have any food to
eat.
The whales had to swim north __________ they could find food to eat.
There weren’t any people in the special sea __________ there were sea
lions.
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Cross-Curricular Vocabulary Activities
Objective Core Language Arts:
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade-level
reading and content.
Identify new meanings for familiar words and apply them accurately (e.g., duck is a bird & the verb to duck).
Use words & phrases acquired through conversations, reading/being read to, and responding to texts.
Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a
grade-level topic or subject area.
Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions in
particular sentences.
Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points,
and provide a concluding statement or section.
Use frequently occurring adjectives.
Vocabulary Game: This activity is a very general idea and is designed to get children thinking of
vocabulary words that will then be used as the beginning vocabulary list for a science lesson.
Select an illustration from the book and give the children a specific length of time (five minutes?)
to write down all the words they can think of about the particular subject. It is helpful to project an
illustration on a whiteboard. Use eBook or book preview found at www.ArbordalePublishing.com.
The children’s word list should include anything and everything that comes to mind, including
nouns, verbs, and adjectives. At the end of the time, have each child take turns reading a word from
his/her list. If anyone else has the word, the reader does nothing. However, if the reader is the only
one with the word, he/she should circle it. While reading the list, one person should write the word
on a flashcard or large index card and post it on a bulletin board or wall.
At the end, the child with the most words circled “wins.” And you have a start to your science
vocabulary list. Note: if a child uses an incorrect word, this is a good time to explain the proper word
or the proper usage.
Glossary/Vocabulary Words: Word cards may be used (see Appendix) or have children write on
index cards, a poster board, or on a chalkboard for a “word wall.” If writing on poster board or
chalkboard, you might want to sort words into nouns, verbs, etc. right away to save a step later if
using for Silly Sentences (on the next page). Leaving the words posted (even on a refrigerator at
home) allows the children to see and think about them frequently. The glossary has some high-level
words. Feel free to use only those words as fit your situation.
Using the Words: The following activities may be done all at once or over a period of several days.
• Sort vocabulary words into nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. and write what they are on the backs of
the cards. When the cards are turned over, all you will see is “noun,” etc. (these can then be used
for the “silly sentences” on the next page).
• After the cards have been sorted, go over the categories to ensure that all cards have been
placed correctly. (Mistakes are a great opportunity to teach!)
• Choose two words from each category and write a sentence for each word.
• Write a story that uses at least ten vocabulary words from the word sort.
• Have children create sentences using their vocabulary words. Each sentence could be written on a
separate slip of paper. Have children (individually or in small groups) sort and put sentences into
informative paragraphs or a story. Edit and re-write paragraphs into one informative paper or a
story.
Silly Sentence Structure Activity: This “game” develops both an understanding of sentence
structure and the science subject. Use words from the “word wall” to fill in the blanks. After
completing silly sentences for fun, have children try to fill in the proper words by looking for the
correct information in the book.
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Word Bank
Adjective
bigger
cold
colorful
dark
dense
distant
gray
hungry
icy
northern
shallow
southern
sparkling
tropical
undersea
warm
amphipod
autumn
baleen
blowhole
blubber
body
bubbles
crabs
eyes
fall
fish
food
forest
gray whale
head
humpback
kelp
krill
light
mammal
Noun
mangrove
nursery
orca
phytoplankton
plankton
plants
rivers
sea lions
seals
spring
summer
surface
tail
urchins
water
whales
wind
winter
zooplankton
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Verb
bite
inhale
bloom
jump
blow
leap
born
lobtail
breach
lunge
breathe
munch
calm
return
communicate scare
consume
see
devour
shine
die
sing
dine
sleep
dive
smack
eat
snack
exhale
spyhop
feast
stay
gobble
strain
grow
surface
hatch
swim
hunt
Cross-Curricular: Silly Sentences
1.
is a burst of color as
noun
their
s spread
noun
, new growth.
adjective
2.Summer
is a
3.Autumn
winds
4.As
,
adjective
sea.
adjective
strongly across the sea.
verb
the winter seas grow
and colder,
adjective
northern waters become quiet and clear.
5.Fish
numbers.
verb
6.
on
s
noun
that blooms in great
noun
on kelp but
verb
noun
s eat
the urchins.
7.The
s put on layers of fat as they eat.
noun
8.Zooplankton
are tiny floating
noun
s that eat
phytoplankton.
9.Baby
animals live in
forests,
important
10.
noun
noun
noun
swamps, and salt marshes are
noun
waters where
adjective
habitats.
whales eat
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noun
12
and small fish.
1.Whales
2.Gray
are
and
noun
whales have
verb
oxygen from air.
number
s on top of their
noun
head.
3.These
blowholes are like nostrils and are how the whales 4.The
and
verb
.
verb
most important reason
surface is to
5.Whales
also
them,
nearby
least
what is around
verb
with other whales nearby, or scare
.
is when a whale
s up so high that at
verb
% of their body is out of the
number
so their
to
verb
noun
7.Spyhopping
s come to the
noun
.
verb
verb
6.Breaching
is when the whale holds their
.
noun
up
noun
s are near or above the surface of
noun
the water.
8.Some
whales
9.Lobtailing
is when the whale lifts its
of the water and
10.
for several minutes at a time.
verb
verb
stay at the surface with their
above the water.
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noun
up out
s it down on the surface.
verb
When gray whales
13
, they
noun
s
Language Arts: Sequence Sentence Strips
Cut into sentence strips, laminate if desired, and place in a “center.” Have children put the events in order.
Children may work alone or in small groups. Cards are in order but should be mixed up when cut apart.
Objective Core Language Arts:
Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order.
Spring is a burst of color as plants
spread their soft, new growth.
Summer is a calm, blue sea.
Autumn winds blow strongly across
the sea.
As the winter seas grow colder and
colder, northern waters become
quiet and clear.
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Little Gray always greeted the people
the same way.
First, he went right up to the boat
for a head rub.
Next, he blasted bubbles out of his
blowhole.
Then he hit the water with his
flukes.
Finally, Little Gray jumped as high as
he could.
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Word Search
Find the hidden words. Even non-reading children can match letters to letters
to find the words! Easy—words go up to down or left to right (no diagonals).
A
1 W
2 H
3 B
4 O
5 A
6 T
7 S
8 P
9 U
10 T
B
A
U
T
U
M
N
E
L
P
O
C
T
M
F
I
S
H
W
A
W
O
D
E
P
U
S
P
R
I
N
G
R
HUMPBACK
SPRING
WINTER
URCHIN
PLANKTON
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E
R
B
R
U
V
A
N
K
R
C
F
S
A
L
M
O
N
T
T
O
A
KELP
SUMMER
DEEP
FISH
GROWS
16
G
O
C
L
M
Q
A
E
O
W
S
H
U
K
K
E
L
P
R
N
S
W
SALMON
AUTUMN
WATERS
BIRD
ORCA
I
N
O
U
R
C
H
I
N
S
I
J
T
B
I
R
D
E
E
P
E
M
Little Gray Word Search Puzzle
Can you find these words from Little Gray’s Great Migration?
AMPHIPODS
BELUGA
BREACH
GRAY WHALE
LITTLE GRAY
MIGRATION
SWIM
ANDREA GABRIEL
BLOWHOLE
BUBBLES
KRILL
LOBTAILING
OCEAN
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BARNACLE
BLUBBER
FLUKES
LAGOON
MARTA LINDSEY
SPY HOP
©2014 Andrea Gabriel
RIDDLE ME THIS
Identify which animal is “speaking.”
Bird
Plankton
Humpback
whale
Puffin
Humpback
whale
Salmon
Kelp
Orca
Sea otter
Urchin
1.
I am a type of plant that grows into tall undersea forests.
2.
I am a small animal with spines that eats kelp.
3.
I am a mammal that dives underwater to eat the urchins that eat the kelp.
4.
I dive after fish, crabs, and shrimp that hide in the kelp.
5.
I dive under schools of fish to trap them with my bubbles.
6.
I hatched in a burrow on a rocky island.
7.
I trap fish with my comb-like baleen.
8.
I bloom in great numbers and sometimes light up the water around me.
9.
I return to rivers from the sea.
10. I hunt salmon, seals, sea lions, and even humpback whales.
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Animal Sorting Cards
Objective: Classify organisms according to one selected feature, such as body covering, and identify
other similarities shared by organisms within each group formed.
Describe several external features and behaviors of animals that can be used to classify them (e.g.,
size, color, shape of body parts).
Identify observable similarities and differences (e.g., number of legs, body coverings, size) between/
among different groups of animals.
Animal Card Games:
Sorting: Depending on the age of the children, have them sort cards by:
where the animals live (habitat)
tail, no tail
number of legs (if the animals have legs)
colors or skin patterns
how they move (walk, swim, jump, or fly)
animal class
type of skin covering (hair/fur, feathers, scales, moist skin)
what they eat (plant eaters/herbivores, meat eaters/carnivores, both/
omnivores)
Memory Card Game: Make two copies of each of the sorting card pages and
cut out the cards. Mix them up and place them face down on a table. Taking
turns, each player should turn over two cards so that everyone can see. If the
cards match, he or she keeps the pair and takes another turn. If they do not
match, the player should turn the cards back over and it is another player’s
turn. The player with the most pairs at the end of the game wins.
Who Am I? Copy and cut out the cards. Poke a hole through each one and tie
onto a piece of yarn. Have each child put on a “card necklace” without looking
at it so the card hangs down the back. The children get to ask each person
one “yes/no” question to try to guess “what they are.” If a child answering the
question does not know the answer, he/she should say, “I don’t know.” This
is a great group activity and a great “ice-breaker” for children who don’t really
know each other.
Charades: One child selects a card and must act out what the animal is so that
the other children can guess. The actor may not speak but can move like the
animal and imitate body parts or behaviors. For very young children, you might
let them make the animal sound. The child who guesses the animal becomes
the next actor.
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Adaptations
Objective: Identify adaptations that help plants and animals survive and grow in their environment
Identify external parts of plants and animals
Observe and compare the structures and behaviors of different kinds of plants and animals
Adaptations help animals to live in their habitat: to get food and water, to
protect themselves from predators, to survive weather, and even to help them
make their homes. Here are a few different types of adaptations.
Physical Adaptations
Use the illustrations in the book to see how many physical adaptations you can
see for each animal.
body coverings
body parts
teeth—depends on type of food eaten
hair or fur
feet, flippers, fins—ability to move
feathers
placement of eyes
scales
gills, lungs, or other—how does the
animal get oxygen
moist skin
ears—or how the animal hears/senses
camouflage and protection
color of skin or pattern to blend into background
body structure resembles another organism to fool predators
poisonous or stinky smells
Behavioral Adaptations
instinct: behaviors or traits that the animals are born with
learned behavior: traits that animals learn to improve their chances of survival
or to make their life easier
social groups versus solitary living
communication with other animals
defense
hiding in an area that provides camouflage
reaction to cycles (day/night, seasons, tides, etc.)
migration: the seasonal movement of animals from one location to another
hibernation: a long, deep sleep in which the animal’s breathing and heartbeat
are slower than usual
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Ocean Adaptations
Objective: Identify adaptations that help plants and animals survive and grow in their environment
Identify external parts of plants and animals
Observe and compare the structures and behaviors of different kinds of plants and animals
Compare and explain how external features of plants and animals help them survive in different
environments.
Several of the animals mentioned or seen in illustrations in these books
breathe air even though they live in the ocean. Generally these animals can
go between breaths for much longer than we can. They need to dive to find
their food and some animals, like the sea turtles, actually hold their breath
long enough to sleep underwater (up to four hours). Some ocean animals that
breathe air are:
• Sea otters (mammals)
• Sea lions (mammals)
• Humpback whales (mammals)
• Ocra whales (mammals)
• Gray whales (mammals)
• Green sea turtles (reptiles)
Mammals that live in the ocean are called marine mammals.
In general, animals that live in the ocean have fins or flippers to help them
swim. Think about swimming lessons that you may have taken. Are you told
to spread your fingers wide or to keep them together? It is easiest to swim if
you keep your fingers together, making a little “flipper.” That helps to push
the water out of the way so that you move forward quicker and easier, just like
ocean-living animals.
Some animals that live in the ocean crawl onto land to rest or sleep. They will
often have some type of claw on their front flippers to help pull themselves up
onto a rocky shore. Which animals in these books are shown on rocks?
Ocean water is salt water and most animals that survive in salt water cannot
survive in fresh water. However, sometimes the animals can go back and forth
for short periods of time—like the salmon that swim upriver to spawn in the fall.
What are some other adaptations that animals have to live in the ocean? Here
are some questions to help you think of some:
• How do they see underwater?
• What happens to some of the noses or ears of marine mammals?
• How do animals breathe?
• How do they catch their food?
• Do they live alone or in groups?
• Which animals work together to trap food?
• Do any animals migrate to warmer waters in the winter?
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Label the Whale Body Parts
Can you identify the whale body parts? Use the words in the word bank:
flipper
fluke (tail)
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dorsal fin
24
blowholes
baleen
Pick an animal from the book and answer the following questions:
My animal is:
Where (in what kind of habitat) does
your animal live?
What is one of its physical adaptations
and how does it help the animal live
in its environment?
What is another of its physical
adaptations and how does it help the
animal live in its environment?
What is another of its physical
adaptations and how does it help the
animal live in its environment?
What behavioral adaptations (if any) were mentioned in the story?
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Math: Measuring (compare & contrast)
Objective Core Mathematics Measurment:
Order three objects by length; compare the lengths of two objects indirectly by using a third object.
Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units, by laying multiple copies of a
shorter object (the length unit) end to end; understand that the length
Classify objects into given categories; count the numbers of objects in each category and sort the
categories by count. (up to 10)
Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. Describe several measurable
attributes of a single object.
Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers, yardsticks,
meter sticks, and measuring tapes.
Measure to determine how much longer one object is than another, expressing the length difference
in terms of a standard length unit.
Humpback and gray whale calves are about 15 feet long when they are born!
Try to imagine how big a whale calf is compared to something you know.
What are some other things about the same size?
Using the right measuring tool (yard stick or measuring tape) and chalk, mark
off how big something is on the playground, sidewalk, or driveway.
If you were to lie down on or next to the line, how many times would you have
to lie down in order to equal the size?
How long were you when you were born? How tall are you now?
gray whale
humpback
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Whales: Compare & Contrast
Compare and contrast humpback and gray whales. If desired, use the Venn
Diagram found in the Appendix.
Humpback whales
animal classification
# blowholes
baleen
eat
Gray whales
communication
size adult female
marine mammal
2
yes
bubble net-feeding on small
fish, plankton, and krill
sing
39–52 feet (12–16 m)
marine mammal
2
yes
bottom feeders: krill and
amphipods
knock
45 feet (14 m)
size calf when born
most calves born in
15 feet (4.5 meters)
winter around Hawaii
migration route (Pacific
Coast US)
migration distance (one
way)
color
Alaska to Hawaii
15 feet (4.5 meters)
winter around Baja
California, Mexico
Bering and Chukchi seas
to Baja, Mexico
5,000-6,500 miles
(8,000-10,500 k)
gray
5000 miles (8,000 k)
black and white
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Migration Math
When migrating, humpbacks usually swim between 3 to 9 miles per hour. If
something is chasing them, they can swim 15 miles per hour. On average,
they swim 1,000 miles a month during migration.
Gray whales spend five to six months migrating (10,000-13,000 miles round
trip). They swim at 3 to 6 miles per hour.
• If whales average 5 miles an hour (5/mph) how long would it take them to
swim 25 miles?
• How long would it take for them to swim 100 miles?
• How far is it from your house to your school or grocery store?
• How long does it take you to get there in a car?
• How long would it take a whale to swim that distance (assuming 5/mph)
• How long does it take you to run or walk a half-mile or a mile?
• How long would it take you to run or walk 1,000 miles?
• How long would it take you to run or walk 10,000 miles?
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Humpback Migration Research
Humpback whales migrate winter and spring in all the world’s oceans. Those
in the far north swim toward the equator during “our” winter months. Those
in the southern half of the world also swim toward the equator. But their
journey from Antarctica to tropical waters takes place six months later during
“their” winter. Northern Humpback whales and those from Australia and other
southern regions rarely, if ever, come into contact because of these seasonal
differences in migration.
No matter which end of the earth they inhabit, humpbacks spend their summer
eating morning and night. Those in the north probably eat more fish, while
those in Antarctic waters often eat more krill. No matter what the diet, they
feast around the clock, building up a thick layer of blubber. This fat acts like a
huge tank of gas. And they need plenty of fuel because they eat little or not at
all while on migration, a journey of more than four thousand roundtrip miles.
They may also go without food while they are in tropical waters!
Northern humpback whale babies are born mainly between January and March.
Those from southern regions give birth from June to October.
Just like other migrating animals, humpbacks usually follow the same
migration route year after year. The young whales learn the way as they swim
with their mothers.
Research the various summer and winter/breeding grounds of humpbacks and
mark the locations on the world map in the appendix.
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Ocean Seasons Nature Journal
My Nature Journal
Here are seasonal drawings of a plant in my yard or at school.
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
My thoughts and observations
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My Nature Journal
Animals I see around me and what they are doing.
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
My thoughts and observations
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Gray Whale Migration Map
Objective: reading maps, geopgraphy, know that plants and animals live in different locations
Use this map to see where you might go to see gray whales during their migration. For
an interactive map, go to the Gray Whale Migration Route at Journey North.
1.
2.
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5.
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20.
Magdalena Bay, Baja California, Mexico
Laguna San Ignacio, Baja California, Mexico
Laguna Ojo de Liebre, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Laguna Guerrero Negro, Baja California, Mexico
San Diego, California, United States
Los Angeles, California, United States
Santa Barbara Channel Islands, United States
Point Piedras Blancas, California, United States
Monterey Bay, California, United States
Half Moon Bay, California, United States
Point Reyes, California, United States
Depoe Bay, Oregon, United States
Seattle, Washington, United States
Richmond, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
Kodiak Island, Alaska, United States
Nelson Lagoon, Alaska, United States
Unimak Pass, Alaska, United States
The Bering Sea
The Chukchi Sea
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Which of these locations do
you think are there places:
where Little Gray was born?
where Little Gray and his
mother swam around land?
where they swam through
the pass to get to the
“special sea?”
Coloring Page
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Answers
Fill in the Conjunction
Ocean Seasons:
Spring is a burst of color on land and in the sea as plants spread their soft, new growth.
Urchins munch on kelp but sea otters eat the urchins.
Many fish, crabs, and shrimp hide and feast in the kelp forest so predators can’t find them
as easily.
Fish grow bigger and stronger through the summer; but they are still food for many birds,
bigger fish, and the humpback whales.
The tiny plankton die and fall to the ocean floor because summer lights grow dark.
Little Gray’s Great Migration:
The people clapped and shouted.
Little Gray didn’t know whether to stay or go.
Mama lost blubber over the winter because she didn’t have any food to eat.
The whales had to swim north so they could find food to eat.
There weren’t any people in the special sea but there were sea lions.
Silly Sentences
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9.
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Ocean Seasons:
Spring is a burst of color as plants spread their soft, new growth.
Summer is a calm, blue sea.
Autumn winds blow strongly across the sea.
As the winter seas grow colder and colder, northern waters become quiet and clear.
Fish dine on plankton that blooms in great numbers.
Urchins munch on kelp but sea otters eat the urchins.
The whales put on layers of fat as they eat.
Zooplankton are tiny floating animals that eat phytoplankton.
Baby animals live in shallow waters where kelp forests, mangrove swamps, and salt
marshes are important nursery habitats.
Humpback whales eat plankton and small fish.
Little Gray’s Great Migration:
Whales are mammals and breathe air.
Gray whales have two blowholes on top of their head.
These blowholes are like nostrils and are how the whales inhale and exhale.
The most important reason whales come to the surface is to breathe.
Whales also surface to see what is around them, communicate with other whales
nearby, or scare nearby fish.
Breaching is when a whale jumps up so high that at least 40% of their body is out of
the water.
Spyhopping is when the whale holds their head up so their eyes are near or above the
surface of the water.
Some whales spyhop for several minutes at a time.
Lobtailing is when the whale lifts their tail up out of the water and smacks it down on
the surface.
When gray whales sleep, they stay at the surface with their blowholes above the water.
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Riddle Me This
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Ocean Seasons:
Kelp
Urchin
Sea otter
Bird
Humpback whale
Puffin
Humpback whale
Plankton
Salmon
Orca
Word Search
A
1 W
2 H
3 B
4 O
5 A
6 T
7 S
8 P
9 U
10 T
B
A
U
T
U
M
N
E
L
P
O
C
T
M
F
I
S
H
W
A
W
O
D
E
P
U
S
P
R
I
N
G
R
E
R
B
R
U
V
A
N
K
R
C
F
S
A
L
M
O
N
T
T
O
A
G
O
C
L
M
Q
A
E
O
W
S
Whale Body Parts
baleen
blowholes
flipper
dorsal fin
fluke
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H
U
K
K
E
L
P
R
N
S
W
I
N
O
U
R
C
H
I
N
S
I
J
T
B
I
R
D
E
E
P
E
M
Appendix A—“What Children Know” Cards
Question:
Question:
My answer:
My answer:
This information is correct!
This information is correct!
This information is not correct; can you
find the correct information?
This information is not correct; can you
find the correct information?
Question:
Question:
My answer:
My answer:
This information is correct!
This information is correct!
This information is not correct; can you
find the correct information?
This information is not correct; can you
find the correct information?
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Appendix B—Venn Diagram
Compare and contrast humpback and gray whales.
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Appendix C—Vocabulary Cards
humpback
whale
gray whale
baleen
blubber
bubble-net
hunting
bottom
feeding
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plankton
phytoplankton
zooplankton
migrate
krill
amphipod
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